Alec Ryder (MR)
Alec Ryder was a disgraced soldier in the Systems Alliance military, a talented scientist and a seasoned space explorer who was a member of Rear Admiral Jon Grissom's original task force which traveled through the Charon mass relay – the first encountered by humanity – in 2149. A patriarch of the Ryder family, Alec is the father of twins Scott and Sara. He later would go on to further prove his mettle by completing N7 training, solidifying himself as one of the Alliance military's elite; During his continued service, Alec fought alongside Steven Hackett and David Anderson on Shanxi during the 2157 First Contact War against the turians. Assigned as a military attaché to the Citadel sometime in the late 2160s, Alec became interested in artificial intelligence as a means of human advancement. His pursuit of this illegal technology led to a dishonorable discharge from the Alliance military. Eventually recruited into the role of Pathfinder for the Andromeda Initiative, Alec found a sponsor to help complete his work and represented the tip of the spear in humanity's efforts to find a new home in the Andromeda galaxy. As the first human Pathfinder of the Ark ''Hyperion'', he worked closely with the Initiative's founder, Jien Garson. However, soon after the Hyperion's arrival in Andromeda in 2819, Alec died during a mission on Habitat 7 before naming his son Scott as his successor. 'Biography' 'Early life' Born on Earth in 2129 CE, Alec Ryder says his love of the new frontiers were fostered by a childhood in the Sierra Nevadans. According to his service record, he enlisted in the Systems Alliance military and was eventually assigned to a historic expeditionary team under the command of Rear Admiral Jon Grissom to explore space beyond the Sol system. His experience made him a candidate for what would later become known as the Alliance's now-renowned N7 marine training back on Earth, where he met Dr. Ellen Harlow. After their marriage, Alec continued his military service and participated in the First Contact War in 2157 against the turians on Shanxi. At some point in his life, Alec and Ellen became the parents of twins Scott and Sara. Ellen later passed away of unknown causes, leaving Alec to raise his son and daughter on his own. Assigned as a military attaché to the Citadel in the late 2160s, Alec became interested in artificial intelligence as a means of human advancement. His pursuit of this illegal technology led to a dishonorable discharge from the Alliance military. In spite of his disgrace, Alec continued his research, leading him to interviewing a quarian historian on the geth uprising, consulting with Dr. Liara T'Soni and even reaching out to the Shadow Broker. 'Andromeda Initiative' Eventually contacted by the Andromeda Initiative in 2176, Alec found a sponsor to help complete his work; most notably the product of his research became known as the neural AI implant SAM. As the human Pathfinder of Ark ''Hyperion'', he represented the tip of the spear in humanity's efforts to find a new home in the Andromeda galaxy and worked closely with the Initiative's founder, Jien Garson. With powerful benefactors lending their support, the Andromeda Initiative gradually grew substantially in scope since its inception to establish a permanent presence on the seemingly resource-rich frontier of the Andromeda galaxy, and eventually create a reliable route between it and the Milky Way. Knowing that the journey to Andromeda was likely considered a one-way trip, Alec handpicked a team of the program's multi-species scientists, explorers and colonists to undergo military training. He personally trained his son and daughter when they volunteered for the Initiative themselves. He, along with 20,000 humans, were placed in cryogenic stasis aboard the Hyperion. 'Waking Up in a New Galaxy' .]] 634 years later upon arriving in Andromeda, Alec was eventually brought out of stasis by the Hyperion personnel upon arriving in the Heleus cluster to fully assumed the role as Pathfinder, serving alongside the Hyperion's commanding officer Captain Nozomi Dunn. While en route to colonize its assigned world Habitat 7, however, the crew unexpectedly ran into problems when the Ark collided with an unknown dark energy cloud containing metallic tendrils and suffered extensive damage. Cryopods were also affected, including the pod containing Alec's daughter Sara, and Hyperion was left stranded―any long-range communications with the Nexus and other Arks were lost and the ship was running low on its reserve power supply. After summoning his second-in-command Cora Harper and his son Scott to the bridge, Alec is seen arguing with Captain Dunn about how to proceed. Because Initiative protocol dictates that the Ark proceeds towards their appointed golden world, Alec orders Lieutenant Harper to gather the Pathfinder team for an expedition to the planet. 'Disaster on Habitat 7' During the reconnaissance mission, however, it is discovered upon atmospheric entry that Habitat 7 suffers from perpetual lightning storms. The shuttles of the Pathfinder team are hit by lightning and end up being separated all over the surface of the planet. Alec leaves his wreckage to scout on ahead, while Scott eventually gets into radio contact. Communications are reestablished and Alec contacts the group to inform them of his plan to stop the storm which is preventing them from departing in the repaired shuttle. In the middle of explaining the plan, Alec is interrupted by an unseen enemy force. The Pathfinder team rendezvoused with Alec just outside of a Remnant structure occupied by the kett. He attempted to gain readings on the Remnant tower ahead, and had ideas about how to stop the storm that brought down the shuttles and was now keeping the repaired one from flying safely. Alec believes the power from the tower is reacting to the Scourge and is causing the storms. His theory is that if the tower is shut down, the storms will stop. With the mission clear, the battle to take the tower begins as the Pathfinder blows up two of the lightning rods that have been protecting the aliens from the deadly strikes. Forced to fight through kett forces, the team makes it to the center and guards Alec while he interacts with a console to open the tower door. He uses his advanced AI, SAM, to begin translating the Remnant language. SAM is able to decipher enough of the language to allow Alec to interface with Remnant terminals. Alec leads the Pathfinder team to the control center of the Remnant structure, which Alec activates in order to stabilize the planet's atmosphere. After the tower door is open, Alec and Scott go inside as Alec uses SAM as a translator for the Remnant device inside and shuts down the tower's power. Both father and son walk outside and talk, not noticing the fast moving dark cloud coming from the building behind them. Both Ryders are knocked down and off the platform. The visor in Scott's helmet is severely damaged. Alec finds his son and calls for the shuttle. Knowing it won't make it in time, Alec sacrifices himself to save Scott from oxygen starvation after he sustained damage to his helmet. Before his death, Alec transfers the role of Pathfinder to his son, creating a deeper bond between Scott and SAM. 'Appearances in other media' *''Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising'' *''Mass Effect: Initiation'' *''Mass Effect: Andromeda'' (First appearance) *''Mass Effect: Horizons'' (Mentioned only) 'Quotes' |-|Spoken by Alec= ''Mass Effect: Nexus Uprising *"Let's get this over with. So the real work can start. Well, it's time to go. So the real work can start. Godspeed to us all." 'Mass Effect: Andromeda *''(about his wife)'' "This incredible woman I've been married to all these years... she's facing the end. All I think about are the times I wasn't there for her. Well, that's going to change―it occurs to me that SAM might be more than I ever imagined." *''(to his daughter)'' "I remember the day they found the first ruins on Mars. Changed my life―we knew for sure that aliens were real. We just had to go find them." *''(about the mysterious benefactor)'' "I had a strange meeting yesterday; I thought it would be with Jien Garson, who founded the Initiative. But it wasn't. I guess Jien's the visionary, the one who gets everyone excited about the project and drums up publicity. But then this 'benefactor' apparently provides resources and money. And I mean a '''lot of money. It's a little unusual, but everything about this project is." *"I accepted the Initiative's offer. They're calling me a 'Pathfinder.' There's no other option left―SAM will never happen without their help. Our savings are gone and no one will return my calls. I'm a pariah. There's something strange going on with this benefactor, but... Ellen's getting worse. I can't fail her." *"When your back is against the wall... if you can't run from it, use it." *''(to to the Andromeda Initiative recruits)'' "This path began a long time ago. A course paved through human history that took us across continents, oceans, and ultimately… to the stars. For us, Earth is home. It’s protected us, challenged us, provided us the foundation to become galactic citizens. But the time has come to prepare ourselves for a future beyond the Milky Way. A future that begins 600 years from where we stand, in a time and place among unknown stars and unseen dangers. And so we issue this call to the brave, the inquisitive, to the trailblazers of the human race as an invitation to stand on the shoulders of those who came before and challenge yourself to go further. Begin your journey. Join the Andromeda Initiative today!" *''(about the Reaper threat)'' "Before the rest of the Hyperion wakes up, I've checked our comms for signals from the Milky Way. Looks like sometime in 2186, everything went to hell. We got out just ahead of it. Commander Shepard was right. And so was our mysterious 'benefactor.'" *''(to Nozomi Dunn)'' "Captain, the protocol is clear: in the absence of communication with the Nexus or the other Arks, we proceed to our appointed golden world. Solid ground." *''(about their destination)'' "That's Habitat 7. "New Earth," if we're lucky. All of our long-range scans told us it was in the green zone. Perfect for human settlement." *"It's these moments when you wish you told your children you love them more often. Or ever." *''(rallying his squad)'' "Okay, team. Listen up. I chose each of you for the Pathfinder team, not just because you're talented and passionate. But because you're dreamers, like me. We dream of exploring the unknown, of finding the edge of the map–and then discovering what lies beyond. When people look back on this–and they will–they'll remember we didn't give up. We kept dreaming that our first, few faltering steps in Andromeda were the beginning of everything they know. We only get one chance to be first. So let's go make history." *''(to his son)'' "Worried about your old man, huh? I won't tell anyone." *''(last words)'' "Deep breaths! SAM, transfer Pathfinder access... encrypted memories. There's still hope for your mother..." |-|Spoken about Alec= |-|Conversations= 'Trivia' *Because of his leadership and military experience, he was the original Pathfinder of the human Ark ship ''Hyperion'' before abruptly being succeeded by his son Scott after an incident on Habitat 7. *He is well acquainted with Liara T'Soni and Castis Vakarian, Garrus's father. *Despite being born prior to the discovery of element zero, Alec demonstrates biotic abilities during the mission on Habitat 7. This is shown to be one of his combat profiles, managed by SAM. Category:MarkRulez711 Category:Articles by MarkRulez711 Category:Humans Category:Males Category:Leaders Category:Ryder family Category:Legends articles Category:Andromeda Category:N7 Commandos Category:Earthborn Category:Explorers Category:Operatives